Washing-machine



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. E. SMITH. WASHING MACHINE.

No. 593,910. Patented Nov. 16,1897

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. E. SMITH. WASHING MACHINE.

No. 593,910. Patented Nov. 16, 1897.

P|s PETERS co, PNOTOLITNQ. wasnmcrou n c HAMILTON SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,910, dated November 16, 1897.

' Application filed January 26,1897. Serial No. 620,828. (No model.)

To all whon t it may concern:

I Be it known that I, HAMILTON E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residingat- Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for washing clothes or other articles, particularly that class of power washing-machin es designed for laundries where articles or clothes in large quantities require to be rapidly and thoroughly cleansed.

The chief object of my present invention is to provide a new and improved clothes-washing machine wherein a steam-pump is'dispensed with and a body of water isdriven by simple mechanical means from a water-chamber through'the clothes or articles contained in a holding vessel and is permitted to flow back or return to the water-chamber fora repetition of the operation, wherebyaforced circulation of the water or washing liquid is obtained and the clothes or other articles are efiectually andthoroughly cleansed. This the water to freely pass from one to the other;

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawin gs, whereinp The numeral 1 indicates'a vessel designed to contain or hold the clothes or articles which are-to be cleansed. This vessel may be'of any construction suitable for the purpose in hand; but as represented in the drawings it is in the form of a horizontal cylinder having closed ends and is provided in its upper portion with a door 2 of anydesired construction articles.

of the water-chamber.

which can be opened for the purpose of introducing or removing the clothes or other This door is preferably constructed so that it will close'Water-tight, but as it may be of any suitable construction and be moved in any desired manner further explanation is deemed unnecessary.

The bottom portion of the clothes-holding vessel is constructed with a continuous 1onj gitudinal opening extending substantially the full le'ngth thereof and over whi ch is arranged aiwire or other suitable screen 4. A cylindrical or other suitably-shaped water-chamber 5 is suspended from the lower side of the clothes-holding vessel and is placed in communication therewith through the said 'continuous longitudinal opening provided in the bottom of the vessel. represented as suspended from and supported by the cylindrical clothes-holdin g vessel; but I do not limit myself to this particular manner of supporting the water-chamber, as it may be otherwise sustained without altering the spirit of my invention.

The Water-chamber as here shown is in the form of a cylinder having disk-shaped heads provided with air-induction valves of any known construction, such as ordinary check-valves, which will permit air to pass therethrough into the water-chamber during the operation of. the machineyas will hereinafter appear. An oscillatory shaft 7, mounted at its ends in bearings on a suitable supporting frame 8, extends horizontally through the center of the Water-chamber and is'constructed or provided with a radial water-propelling blade 9 of a length approximately coextensive with the length of the wa- The water-chamber is ter-propeller blade 9 may be a simple rectanvf gular plate of metal, wood, or other suitable material, and its width is such that its outer edge lies quite near the inner circular surface The holding vessel 1 and the water-chamber 5 are designed to contain a body of water of greater or less vol ume, and the propeller-blade acts to drive the water from the water-chamber through the screen 4.111150 the clothes-holding vessel and through the clothes or articles therein contained, as will hereinafter appear. The

upper portion of the water-chamber is provided with a longitudinal dividing partition or plate 10 of a length substantially coextensive with the length of the propeller-blade 9. The dividing partition or platelO, as here represented, stands in a perpendicular position and fills the space between the wire screen 4: and the periphery of the horizontal shaft '7, as best seen in Fig. 4, in such manner that when the propeller-blade 9 moves in one direction the water in the water-chamber will be forced into the clothes-holding vessel at one side of the dividing partition or plate, and water from the vessel will pass from the latter into the water-chamber at the opposite side of the partition or plate, and when the propeller-blade moves in the opposite direction a reverse motion of the water takes place. The horizontal shaft 7 is designed to be oscillated for the purpose of oscillating the propeller-blade 9, and to secure this result by very simplified mechanism I provide one end of the shaft with a pinion 12, meshing int-0a segmental gear 13, forming a part of a segment ll. This segment is secured at one end to a rocker-shaft 15, mounted in suitable bearings on the frame 8, which supports the clothes-holding vessel 1. The rocker-shaft is provided with a rigidly-attached crank-arm 16, to which is pivoted, as at 17, one end ofa connecting-rod 18. The other end of the connecting-rod is pivotally connected, as at 19, with a crank 20, secured to a main drivingshaft 21. This driving-shaft maybe rotated in any suitable manner, but I prefer to provide it at one end with a driving-pulley 22, adapted to be belted to an engine or motor.

The clothes holdin g vessel is provided with a hot and cold water connection 23, of any known construction, which will enable hot or cold water, either or both, to be introduced into the vessel whenever necessary.

The water-chamber 5 is provided in its lower portion with a longitudinal pocket in which is arranged a perforated steam-pipe 24: for introducing steam into the water-chamber to heat the contents thereof. This is a desirable and simple means of heating the water in the water-chamber; but I do not confine myself to this particular heating device, as the water chamber may be otherwise heated without altering my invention.

The water-chamber is provided at one end with an outlet-valve 25 for discharging the water from time to time, as circumstances may require.

In the operation of my improved washingmachine the articles to be cleansed are placed in the clothes-holding vessel and a suitable quantity of water is admitted through the supply connection 23 until the water-chamber 5 is filled and the water rises to a greater or less level in the clothes-holding vessel. The water is maintained in a heated condition through the medium of the steam heatingpipe 24. The main driving-shaft is then rotated by the driving-pulley 22, or otherwise, and the rotary motion of the crank 20 moves the connecting-rod 18 t0 and fro, thus rocking the crank-arm 16, rocker-shaft 15, and segment 14. As the segment is geared to the pinion 12, the rising-and-falling motion of the segment will turn the pinion first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, thereby oscillating the shaft 7 and the propeller-blade 9. The motions of the propellerblade drive the water in the water-chamber 5 upwardly into the clothes-holding vessel through the articles therein, first at one side and then at the opposite side of the dividing partition or plate 10. The water from the chamber 5 can freely pass through the wire or other screen 4, but the latter sustains the clothes or articles in the holding vessel 1, so that they cannot pass therefrom into the water-chamber, which would be damaging to the clothes and interfere with the operation of the propeller-blade.

The central dividing partition or plate 10 cffectually prevents the propeller-blade throwin g the water from one side to the other side of the water-chamber and compels the water to rise upwardly into the clothes-holdin g vessel first at one side and then at the other side of the dividing partition or plate. As the water is forced upward at one side of the dividing partition or plate water from the clothes-holding vessel will descend at the opposite side of said partition or plate, so that a forced circulation of the water is maintained through the articles in the clothesholding vessel, whereby they are clfectnally and thoroughly cleansed.

During the oscillating motion of the propeller-blade air is drawn into the water-chamber through the induction-valves G. The admixture of air with the water is desirable and important in that it has been found to more effectually and rapidly cleanse clothes or other articles in the washing operation.

The invention is particularly useful in washing yarns, woolen materials, and sugarsacks.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination with a clothes-holding vessel, of a water-chamber arranged beneath said vessel and communicating therewith, a screen which sustains the clothes in the holding vessel and prevents them from descending into the water-chamber, a dividing partition or plate arranged beneath the screen, an oscillating water-propellin g blade working directly in the water-chamber and operating to drive the water upwardly at either side of said dividing partition or plate, and means for oscillating the water-propelling blade, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a clothes-holding vessel, of a water-chamber arranged beneath said vessel and communicating therewith, a screen for sustaining the clothes in the holding vessel, a rock-shaft extending through the central portion of the water-chamber and having an attached pendent water-propellin g blade working in the water-chamber, a vertical partition extending longitudinally of the water-chamber between the said screen and the said rock-shaft, and mechanism, substantially as described, for rocking the shaft and oscillating the water-propelling blade, to raise the water alternately at opposite sides of said partition, substantially as described;

3. The combination of a clothes-holding vessel having a longitudinal opening in its bottom portion, a water-chamber arranged under said vessel and communicating there-V with through saidlongitudinal opening, a screen which sustains the clothes in the vessel, a vertical partition running longitudinally through the top portion of the waterchalnber, an oscillating waterpropeller arranged-below said partition and operating to drive the water from the water-chamber upward alternately at opposite sides of said partition, and pinion-and-gear mechanism for oscillating the water-propeller, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a clothes-holding vessel having a longitudinal opening in its. bottom portion, a water-chamber arranged ,under said vessel and communicating therewith through said longitudinal opening, a screen which sustains the clothes in the vessel, a vertical partition running longitudinally through the top portion of the waterchamber, an oscillating Water-propeller arranged below said partition and operating to drive the water from the water-chamber upward alternately at opposite sides of said partition, a pinion connected With the water-propeller, a toothed segment engaging the pinion,

'a rocker-shaft mounted in bearings on the Witnesses:

ALBERT I-I. NORRIS, F.. B. KEEFER. 

